FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MALDEF, ACLU AND NILC TO ANNOUNCE CHALLENGE TO ARIZONA RACIAL PROFILING LAW AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN PHOENIX ON THURSDAY
April 29, 2010 - Civil rights leaders Dolores Huerta and Richard Chavez joined by famed musician and Arizona native, Linda Ronstadt, to condemn new law
PHOENIX – On Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. (MST), MALDEF, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Arizona will hold a news conference on the steps of the State Capitol Executive Tower in Phoenix, Arizona to announce that they are preparing to challenge Arizona’s extreme new law, which requires law enforcement to question people about their immigration status during everyday police encounters and criminalizes immigrants for failing to carry their “papers.” The unconstitutional law, the groups say, encourages racial profiling, endangers public safety and betrays American values.
Speakers will include Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF President and General Counsel; Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona; Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America; and multi-Grammy winning artist and human rights advocate, Linda Ronstadt.
Fifteen years ago, the same three civil rights groups successfully challenged Proposition 187 in the state of California, where a voter-approved initiative required proof of legal status to access virtually all public services. The enactment of Prop 187, as it was commonly referred, tore apart schools and communities across the state as fear and suspicion became pervasive, and the state wasted tens of millions of dollars defending a law ultimately struck down as unconstitutional.
WHAT:
News Conference to Condemn SB1070, MALDEF, ACLU, ACLU of Arizona, and NILC Promise Legal Challenge
WHO:
Richard Chavez, Civil Rights Leader (brother of Cesar Chavez)
Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder of United Farm Workers of America and Founder of The Dolores Huerta Foundation
Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF
Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona
Linda Ronstadt, Recording Artist and Human Rights Advocate
WHEN:
April 29, 2010 @ 11:00 a.m. MST
WHERE:
Steps of Arizona State Capitol
1700 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890
Founded in 1968, MALDEF is the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Often described as the “law firm of the Latino community,” MALDEF promotes social change through advocacy, communications, community education, and litigation in the areas of education, employment, immigrant rights, and political access.
For more information on MALDEF, please visit: www.maldef.org.
